Associate Brand Designer
About the role
AREA 17 partners with Craft on the 2026 Cohort, a structured program designed to grow and nurture junior talent into future leaders. You'll work in small, autonomous teams alongside senior strategists and designers, learning by doing on real projects rather than observing. This role focuses on leading brand design for digital-first projects, translating strategic positioning into visual systems and identities. You'll concept and execute motion, typography, system design, and identity work, adapting to project needs. Work alternates between six-to-eight-week acceleration sprints (launching brands quickly) and six-month-plus transformations (building lasting brand infrastructure). Teams collaborate with clients in AI, climate, health, and arts-and-culture sectors.
Requirements
- Early-career with a couple of years of experience in brand or design (beyond your first studio job).
- Ideas-first mindset with strong conceptual and typographic skills.
- Ability to draw references from beyond graphic design.
- Skilled at interpreting strategy and expressing it through design.
- Curiosity about AI tools (fluency not required).
Benefits
- $60,000 - $75,000 salary.
- Hybrid working arrangement.
- Early October start date.
- Fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and families.
- 401(k) with company match.
- HSA with annual employer contribution.
- Employer-paid life insurance.